Tainted Innocence
by SavL7
Summary: It has been a month and a half since escaping Carver. Winter has come and snowed the group into a cabin in the mountains of West Virginia. Each person has their own way of grieving the dead. Clementine with her numbness and Kenny with his whiskey. But Kenny's relationship with whisky gets out of hand, and he makes a mistake. ClemxKenny Warning: Rape - Don't like don't read
1. Chapter 1

There was a chill in the night that was creeping across her exposed skin, even the small fire they had started in the cabin had done nothing to loosen Jack Frost's mighty grip. When she had first come across the snow, it had been new and exciting, lighting a smile on her face that she hadn't felt since Lee, but now, it had become another obstacle, an obstacle that had taken Rebecca's baby. Her hands rubbed together in front of the fire, keeping her face hidden underneath the large scarf.

Death had become the norm. She felt numb to its unbiased touch. It took who it pleased when it pleased. Her heart cringed as the image of Lee's head hitting the wall as the gun shoot rang in her ear passed through her thoughts. Her lip formed a serious straight line. He wouldn't have wanted her to stop and mourn. There is no time to mourn in this world, but she couldn't deny the pang of regret over the fact that her picture of him had been left in her backpack at the lodge when Carver had taken them.

It was late in the house and the fire was dwindling. Rebecca had gone to bed. It was all she did these days. Sleep. Luke and Mike were scouting for a nearby town that was a day's walk from the cabin. They all had decided to wait out the next couple month here to make it through the winter. The rumors were true about the snow. Walkers moved slower and some even froze into ice sculptures, but while there were less walkers, it didn't make the current circumstances any safer. They were in the mountains of West Virginia in the middle of the winter and still had at least two months of walking to make it to Wellington. If they were to make it to Wellington, they needed supplies, and they couldn't be stuck outside in the below freezing temperatures for weeks on end, so they decided to wait.

Except for Jane who had left a long while back, not seeing the point of sticking around a group with Luke and Kenny arguing. If Clementine was honest, she missed the woman. She was far the most reasonable out of the group and understood how to survive.

She heard a loud sigh as Kenny sat down on the couch behind her. She could hear the swishing of liquid in a bottle and the large gulps from the man. Mike and Luke had left her with the two people mourning. It somewhat irritated her that they put her into another situation where she was required to be the responsible one, but when she glanced back at Kenny's sad defeated face as he chugged another gulp of whisky, she couldn't help and feel guilt.

She didn't regret cutting off Sarita's arm. It had been the right choice. It had saved her from the infection. How would Clementine know that Sarita would trip on ice on one of the trails, reach out for Kenny with her missing hand only to find air and fall back hard on a rock, piercing her skull.

Irony.

The longer she lived in this world; she started to realize that death liked irony and never stopped chasing in the shadows. It always seemed like she would make a choice to save someone only to have that person die a few weeks later. Death never gave up.

"Kenny?" she ventured quietly, testing his mood. She trusted Kenny with her life. He had been there since the beginning. He had outsmarted death and returned to her. His stubborn never give up attitude had given her certainty in this always unsafe world. Yet times like these were fragile.

"Clem, why ya so far away?" he slurred, bringing the bottle to his lips and taking another swig, "Should play a game. They got'em chess board." He laughed at himself, "Shit, I'm not smart for that, bet ya are, Clem."

Clementine slowly pushed herself up from the floor and moved to the couch, shivering under her sweater. "You're drunk," she stated matter of fact, as she sat on the other end of the couch, pulling her knees to her chest. She didn't want to leave him alone to drink. He was still upset and people always did stupid things she noticed when they drank.

"Fuck ya, I am," he remarked, but it was followed by a sigh, "I'm so done with this shit. It's always the same thing. Katjaa…..Duck….." he swallowed thickly, "I'm done losing people."

She turned her eyes to him, locking them with his somber ones. "Everyone dies, it's just how it is," she said softly.

"It's not how its suppose to be!" he snapped, glaring at her, before his face relaxed and he took another swig. "I'm sorry, Clem. I'm just tired, tired of watchin' people, people I fucking care about, walk the plank. I'll I got is you now. Those two fucktards in the snow don't mean nothing and that lady in the bedroom is more like a corpse then livin'. It's just you. You and me."

She nodded in agreement, though she had grown close to the others as well, Kenny was her rock, and she supposed she was his rock. "I'm not going anywhere yet," she gave him a small smile, and she watched as he smiled as well.

He then handed her the bottle, "Why don't ya have some?"

Her eyes widened for the briefest of moments. She had seen what that stuff did. Her hand slowly reached out until she took the bottle from him. "Does it taste good?" she asked, tilting the bottle one direction then the other, seizing it up.

Kenny laughed, "You won't know if ya don't try."

She pouted and glared at the bottle. She hated being laughed at. She might be young, but she wasn't a kid. She put the bottle to her lips and took a huge chug. As soon as the sharp burning taste hit her tongue and the back of her throat, she pulled the bottle away and started to cough, holding it out to Kenny.

Kenny laughed and took it back. "You okay, kid?" he chuckled, as she covered her mouth as the sensation went to her stomach.

She shot him a glare. "I can handle it," she muttered. She saw the humor in his eyes as if he didn't believe her.

He whistled, "Oh of course, you're a big girl, I forgot." He kept looking at her, and she only met his glare with a fierce look of opposition. She didn't even notice how long they were stuck in their staring contest until Kenny pulled his eyes away and to the floor, scratching the top of his head underneath his cap. He didn't look at her when he spoke again, "Ya should probably get to bed."

Her brows turned to confusion not understanding the change in his mood, only to be disrupted by a yawn. She guessed he was right. She was feeling tired and the sun had set hours ago. "Night, Kenny," she slid off the couch, and shuffled towards her designated room.

"Night, Clem."

There were three in the house, and since the two other men were off, it meant she didn't have to share with anyone tonight and would get a snore free sleep. She smiled to herself, not noticing Kenny's eyes on her.

She made it to the bedroom and shifted out of her layers of clothing, placing her baseball cap on the nightstand. Since the dead started walking, she didn't get to sleep in beds very often, and she had to admit, she was quite excited every evening she got to steal a bit of rest on the comfortable mattress. She left her big sweater on that was made for a fully grown woman and her wool socks to keep warm, then slipped underneath the covers. The liquid she had drank earlier was making her stomach feel warm and she snuggled up in the sheets.

As sleep started to take her, the door opened and someone stumbled in. She shoot up like a possible zombie had broken in, but her body relaxed as she saw the familiar figure. "Kenny?" she said through a yawn, "Is this your room?" She could have sworn that Luke said this was her room. There was no point in arguing with Kenny if he wanted it.

"Nah, it's just got the best bed. Can't ya share?" he said in a gruff voice, and she could hear the sound of him kicking off his shoes.

It only confused her more. Didn't he want to enjoy his own bed too? "There are three rooms…." she said, not knowing why trying to remind him of the other room might help, but it couldn't hurt either.

"I can count, kid," he said and walked around the bed, dropping down on the other side, his arm falling on top of his forehead as he sighed, "…I just need some company." His voice was low, she almost didn't hear it.

"Oh. Okay," she said softly in response, still glancing at him. She never felt comfortable with saying the right words to make people feel better about a lost one Lee was always so good of keeping spirits high. She tried to be like him. She just didn't quite know what to say. "It will be okay, Kenny. Tomorrow is another day," she said, giving him an awkward pat on the shoulder before laying back in bed.

She heard his weak laugh. "You're always so mature. Don't know how ya do it. Ya more mature then some of the adults we run across," he remarks, and she could feel flush cross her face at the praise. She had noticed it too. Adults could be very stupid.

"I…." he paused, licking his lips before continuing as if the words were difficult, "I …I want to try something, even if it might make me a sick fuck."

She didn't even have time to answer his confusing statement because a moment later, his body was on top of her, his hand cupping her cheek and threading into her hair with a tight grip as he pressed his lips roughly against hers.

Her eyes widened in horror, her body tensing in uncertainty. Her mother and father had kissed her on the lips, but nothing like this. His beard tingled her skin and the next thing she knew his tongue was pushed into her mouth. Her mind was screaming at her to make him stop. She tried to pull her lips away, but it only caused their tongues to touch and a weird shock sensation shoot through her. She needed it to stop. Her hands pushed up against his chest as hard as she could.

Thankfully, he pulled away. Her breathing was off the charts as she looked at Kenny. "Kenny, what…" she didn't even know how to finish the sentence.

He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against hers. "Don't you want to be a woman? I need the company of a woman," his voice sounded darker than normal, rough. She could smell the drink on him.

The sheets tightened on her as he gripped them hard in his hand. Her breathing had shot up to panic, as if she were facing a walker and not the man she saw as her friend. His words made it sound like there was more meaning behind them then what he was letting on and based on the way her skin tingled from his full beard and her lips felt raw from his, she suspected it was in that direction. "Kenny," she couldn't stop her voice from sounding like a whine. She scolded herself for it. She always had managed to keep calm in tough situations. Survival required it. This was different. "Kenny, no, get off of me," she said and tried to push him off.

"Come on, Clem. You'll enjoy it," his voice low, as his hand pulled the sheets aside, "Don't ya trust me?" His large hand touched her waist and slowly moved down to her bare thigh. She jolted at the feeling of his touch. It made her body hot even though it had felt cold all night long. She didn't know what this was.

"I do…but…" before her words finished, his mouth was on top of hers again. His hand slide to her butt and squeezed it. She yelped into his mouth at the touch, her body pressing forward against his to get away from his hand, only to feel an uncomfortable stiffness in his jeans. She felt like she was losing control of what was happening. Her body seemed to be on nails edges, uncertain if it was enjoying what was happening or it was reacting in fear. His mouth took control of hers, and it almost felt like there was no escape.

Without warning her hand slapped across his face.

His head jerked back and he looked down at her face. She hadn't realized it, but tears had started to slide down her cheeks. She saw his dark gaze widen to fear as he cursed to himself. "Shit, what did I do," he jumped off of her, falling partially off the bed, as he stumbled to get out.

"I'm sorry Clementine. I'm so sorry," he muttered as he ran out the room, shutting the door behind him.

A floodgate collapsed as the door shut, she curled into a ball, burying her face into her pillow. Her body felt on edge, she could stop her heighten breathing, and the tears kept coming. She was a big girl. She had learned to take care of herself. She could take of herself. Lee had taught her how. She just didn't understand what happened. Would Lee be mad at her? Did she do something wrong? Would Kenny be angry? She didn't want to lose Kenny too.

She had lost so many people. She thought she was numb to it. She thought she could handle it.

She cried softly into the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I have to admit I totally ship Clem and Kenny. There is something about it in Season 2 that has captured me. While I know in the game she is young, she acts and appears so old, I forget half the time. I normally would have never written something like this because of the age difference and so forth, but since no one has yet, I felt the need to step in. This is a three-shot, so this is the second part of this story. At the end of this chapter, you can make the final choice. I'll probably write a scene for both choices eventually, but I'll start off with the one that gets picked the most. Also, I was thinking of doing an older version of Clem in different story, but I'm trying to determine how best to write that. I'm not a huge fan of older Clem because most I read are out of character. Anyways, here you go. Please don't troll. If you don't like, just don't read. Thanks!

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The axe slammed into the wood, splitting it in half. The two pieces dropped into the snow. His hand shook around the axe before he pulled it up and grabbed another piece of wood, placing it onto the stump. Flashes of his actions last night kept popping to the forefront of his mind. He slammed the axe into the wood. What had he been thinking?

He could sense Lee presence around him, burning of rage and disappointment.

You touched her man, his deep familiar voice echoed in his mind, You're a sick fuck.

He growled in frustration, splitting another piece of wood. "I didn't…I didn't plan it!" he shouted into the air, his eyes closing shut trying to get a hold of himself.

Don't try to justify your terrible actions. I knew you couldn't take care of her. You couldn't even take care of your own family.

He kicked the stump hard before pulling his hand up and rubbing his tired face. "Don't bring them into this," he muttered, his voice going cold. His body was shaking, and it wasn't because of the below freezing weather. He had done something so unforgivable, and he almost wished Lee was here to pound his face into the ground and take his other eye. Unlike the incident with Carver, he actually deserved it. Thankfully, she had slapped some sense into him before he had taken it any further.

"Oh god," he groaned, as he remembered her tear soaked cheeks. It was so easy to forget that she was just a little girl. She often had more reason then the fool adults they worked with. She held her own, and could survive this world even if she were alone. Lee had taught her well, and she had grown up into a beautiful young lady, but she still was a child. He had to remind himself that she was still a child. Those tears….he had traumatized her, and he was supposed to be her protector, not that he was much of a protector.

He fell onto his knees in the snow. His breath came in sharp gasp as he tried to calm his nerves. When he felt like this, the only solution felt like alcohol, but that had gotten him into this mess in the first place. He wished someone was here….but they were all dead.

He couldn't lose Clementine too. He took in one deep calming breath and pulled himself together. He needed to protect her, possibly even from himself. It might be best if he just grabbed some supplies and left. That kid Luke could take care her. God, he was such a shit tard sometimes though.

He shook his head and picked up the wood to bring inside.

Clementine pulled her hair back into her usual short pig tails. Her stomach was in knots. She could still feel his touch and the roughness of his beard on her face. It made her squirm, yet she couldn't yet decipher why she felt so strange about it. On one hand, he had done something that she was not okay with. On the other hand, she could tell by the sadness and hurt on his face when he left, that he hadn't done it with evil intentions in mind. She almost felt a tinge of guilt.

Her lips stayed in a straight line, her mask of numbness returning to her face as she pulled her hat on and slowly walked outside of her room. Her insides were contorting in nervousness at possibly seeing him. She didn't know what to say. She peeked down the hallway and to the living room, it was empty. She let out a sigh of relief then quickly ran across it in her socks to the kitchen.

Again, she opened the door slightly, checking to see if it was clear. Seeing no one in view, she went in. They didn't have much food, but they had all had already discussed how it would be divided. Two crackers for breakfast would be enough to settle the growling in her stomach. She moved to the cupboard and opened it, grabbing the box of crackers.

As her hand dipped into the box and pulled out two crackers the back door swung open revealing Kenny with a pile of wood in his hands.

Her eyes widened as she froze like a deer in headlight. Kenny stopped immediately when he saw her. The door shutting behind him provided the only sound. Both of their eyes locked on one another before they jolted in other directions.

She couldn't explain the flush that came to her cheeks. She felt slightly embarrassed for standing there with a box of crackers, like she had been caught sticking her hand in the cookie jar. It made her feel like a kid, and she didn't like that. She bit her lip nervously before holding the box out to him. "Cracker?" she asked, the only thing that came to her mind before her face became even redder. She just wanted to go back into bed and hide under the covers in shame.

She braved another glance at him and noticed that he was looking anywhere but in her direction. "Uh, no thanks," he stated offhandedly, adjusting the wood in his arms, "Gotta finish this." He then moved passed her as if she wasn't even in the room went through the door to the fireplace.

Her heart clenched without warning and her eyes fell to the ground. It hurt. She had known Kenny for a long time. She had seen how he reacted when someone had pissed him off. He would either outright fight them or he would avoid them. He was avoiding her. She had made him mad. She didn't want to lose him as a friend.

She didn't feel hungry anymore.

She put the box back in the cupboard. Her face emotionless. Why was he mad at her? He didn't have the right to be mad? She did? Didn't she?

She sighed. She wished Lee was here. He always knew how to handle difficult things like these.

She tapped her finger on the counter of the kitchen when she heard the front door open and voices. She looked up, her form going silent and tense as she waited to hear if it was Luke or a stranger.

"Honey, we're home!" Mike's voice shouted through the cabin and her body relaxed. It was the boys. She slowly wandered to the door to get to the living room to say a quick hello.

"Don't act like we've been waitin' up for you," she heard Kenny grumble as she opened the door.

"Some thanks would be nice," Luke rolled his eyes and placed the bags of supplies down on the ground. Clementine stepped into the living room and Luke smiled at her. "Hey, sweet pea."

She smiled back at him. Luke was a nice guy, idealistic at times, but a nice guy. "Hey, did you bring back any peanut butter?" she asked, curiously. Before the outbreak, her mother always made peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. She had gotten so sick of them, but now it seemed like a delicacy. Luke had said that he would keep an eye out for some.

Luke smirked and pulled out a tub of peanut butter. "You bet, I did," he said coyly, tossing it to her.

She caught it in her hands with awe before looking up at him. "Thank you," she said, almost in a squeak.

Luke scratched the back of his head, "Uh that's not the only thing we brought back."

She hadn't notice, but Kenny was fuming near the fire, tossing wood into the burner. He seemed to be on edge. With Luke's words, he shot up, his eyes narrowed on Luke. "What does that mean?" he snapped.

Mike held out his hands. "Calm down, Ken. We just ran into some girls, freezing their asses off in the abandon gas station a half mile out. We told them to come with us," Mike explained, while Luke met Kenny's glare. This wasn't the first time she had seen tension rise between Luke and Kenny and she doubted it would be the last.

"You invited them back? Why the fuck? They could be scouts for all you know! Or maybe they just wanted to you to show them your sweet shindig, so they can split our throats and toss us out with the trash. What the fuck were you thinking?" Kenny started shouting his voice getting louder as his arm thrashed in the air.

Clementine watched with careful eyes. Kenny could let his rage get the best of him, but there were points where she couldn't find a flaw in his logic. She didn't trust anyone outside their group and the idea of inviting strangers in sounded like a stupid idea. "Where are they?" she asked, her eyes jumping to all the windows in case they busted in and attacked.

"You're over reacting, Kenny!" Luke snapped, "They were in trouble and needed help. What would Walter have done?"

"Walter is dead with a bullet in his head. I'm not going off of his principles," Kenny growled.

Their argument was getting out of hand. "Listen to me!" she shouted, gripping into the peanut butter tub, and everyone went silent. She looked between the three of them, "If you brought them with you, where are they?" Her words were nervous and she already didn't like what was happening. It felt like an ambush.

The door swung open.

"You still know how to keep these guys in line, don't cha, Clem. Omid would be frightened," Christa spoke from behind Luke as she walked in.

The peanut butter tub in her hand clashed to the floor. It felt like she was seeing the dead come to life, but not in the form of a zombie. Her heart went flat in the chest as if what she was seeing was merely a dream.

"Christa….?" She whispered in shock.

She didn't notice, but even Kenny seemed a bit taken aback by the scenario.

Christa smiled, her hair stuck in her usual ponytail as her hand went to her hip. "Hey kid," she said softly.

Clementine ran towards her and wrapped her arms around her legs. "I thought I lost you," she said softly.

Christa patted her head awkwardly, obviously not a person comfortable with physical contact, especially after losing Omid. "I thought the same, but it looks like you have a talent of pulling people from the grave," Christa nodded towards Kenny, though the two didn't outright speak to another.

Clementine couldn't believe that she had found her. She had never considered that Christa was dead, but she had never thought she would run into her again, at least not like this. It brought her the briefest moments of joy that hope wasn't lost, but then she remembered Christa's attitude towards her. Clementine let go of her immediately.

A woman walked in behind her, dishevel blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a jacket that looked like it came straight from Colorado. The woman had a huge grin on her face, almost to the point that it made Clementine uncomfortable to see it.

"Children are still alive?" the woman asked in a squeal, "Oooooh, it's so exciting!" She leaned her face towards Clementine and Clementine stumbled back.

"Who the fuck are you?" Kenny stepped in-between her and the strange blonde, holding his gun straight at her forehead. She looked up at the taller man who had a protective hand in front of her to keep her behind him. She found her eyes falling to his hand, noticing how worn his skin seemed, evidence of a man that didn't mind working. Her eyes fell to the ground. When Kenny became protective like this it was easy to forget about what happened the night before. It almost made her feel comfortable with him, like she could trust him.

The blonde took a step forward into the gun, pressing it into her forehead, still with the grin. "You are definitely from the south," she giggled, "Southern gentlemen always like to press a gun to my pretty face."

Christa pulled the girl back away from Kenny, sighing in frustration. "This is Taylor. We met on the road. She is trustworthy," she said, giving a serious glance to both Kenny and the new woman, Taylor.

Clementine found herself looking at the woman. She seemed nice enough, but it was almost too….cheerful. It made no sense how someone could be that cheerful during the current circumstances. Was she crazy?

Kenny didn't lower his weapon. "Like hell she is," he said abruptly.

The woman laughed again, "Your friends are fun! You guys got beds! I am super tired!" The girl announced moving past Kenny and his loaded gun to explore the house. Clem's eyes narrowed. It was best to be cautious of new people. You never knew them, or what they were after. The dairy farm, after all, had seemed friendly enough.

Luke was laughing softly, and Clementine looked at him like he was crazy. Did he find this weird woman funny? She really liked Luke. It only frustrated her in times like these when she saw him doing something so ridiculously stupid, like not believing the child bit by the dog was in danger or trusting this odd woman. She wanted to walk over and shake him to get a hold of himself, but Luke was already following after her. "I can show you both," Luke jumped to the opportunity.

"You're not going to let some stranger eat our food and sleep on our cots. Tell her to get the fuck out of here," Kenny cocked the gun and keeping it pointed at the back of the blondes head. The blonde tilted her head back with a dead eye expression while Christa stepped in between them, glaring at Kenny.

"You're the same piece of shit I remember," Christa spoke coldly pulling out her own gun, "I suspect you left Ben to die. God, I can't believe I thought you would actually sacrifice yourself for anyone." She let out a fake half laugh before rolling her eyes. "To think you're alive and Omid isn't…." She shook her head.

Clementine's heart sank at the mention of Omid's death. The guilt weighed on her like a heavy rock.

"Guys, come on. Ken you need to step back," Luke said trying to diffuse the tension while keeping the blonde tucked behind him.

Oh no, Clem thought. She had noticed that when Luke got involved the fighting usually got worse. She didn't blame him. He just didn't have a tone for negotiating, neither did Kenny or any of the adults. She opened her mouth, her hand reaching up to stop them both before they did something they might both regret.

Kenny beat her to the punch, "What sunshine, couldn't save your boyfriend so you blame me? We've all lost folks," he snapped, "Don't bring your mistake into this."

Clementine watched as Christa's jaw tightened and her eyes shoot to her. Clementine's hand faltered in the air as those dark brown eyes hit her. It felt like being punched as she took in the rage, the sadness, and frustration in one single look. She knew the feelings had always been behind Christa, especially when they grew distance after the months that followed Omid's death. She had just never seen it. Christa had always shown her the tired emotionless mask, the same mask that Clementine had learned to pick up. She knew she was mad….it just hurt so much to actually see it in her expression, to actually know that the reason Omid was dead was because of her own mistake. Why had she left the gun on the counter? It squeezed at her heart. Her bottom lip began to shake.

The look had only lasted for a moment, but Clementine felt like a crack she had tried to keep concealed for ten months was going to break. Christa sighed deeply dropping her hand with the gun, and Kenny had followed her look, his eyes widening in realization of what must have happened to Omid. Another person who know knew she failed at something so simple. Clementine sucked in a deep breath, keeping her face together. She didn't want them to see her weak because she wasn't weak. "I'm going to look for some more wood," she responded softly, and turned away from everyone to get her boots.

"Oh shit," Kenny mumbled.

"What happened?" Luke said baffled to Christa as he glanced at her grabbing her coat.

"Always drama round this place," Mike huffed then shouted out into the cabin, "Rebecca, get your ass up! You can't sleep away everything!" The man went through the cabin.

Clementine used the distraction to put on her coat and slip out the door, pulling her hat down and her scarf up to protect her face.

The sound of the shot firing, the blood dripping down his shirt….the gurgling sound, and thump.

She swallowed thickly and stepped into the deep snow. It was a mistake Lee never would have made. He had taught her to be cautious and his lesson had fallen on deaf ears. There was danger everywhere. The snow crutched under her boots as she made her way into the woods. Her body already felt cold.

One step at a time. She just had to keep moving, never stop, always moving. There wasn't time to linger on the past.

There wasn't time to think of her parents as walkers, molding, skin ripping from their cheeks, eyes dead white. There wasn't time to think of Lee's missing arm, green skin, and the hole that ripped through his head. There wasn't time to think of the people who died, her friends. There wasn't time to think of mistakes…to think of how much Christa truly hated her.

She gasped for air, as tears slide down her face, and she fell back onto the trunk of a tall pine tree. She hated crying like this. She always managed to hold herself together. She had too for everyone. They didn't have time to worry about her. She had to be older.

She wiped her face with the back of her sleeve and stared blankly through the forest.

"Clem…" Kenny's familiar voice was behind her.

Her body tensed before she slowly glanced up at him. Her eyes met his brown one, but nothing was said. There was nothing to say, nothing to justify what had happen. Her eyes fell to his shoes. "It's my fault Omid is dead," she said barely above a whisper. She hadn't spoken about this with anyone, even Christa.

She listened as she heard Kenny lean his shot gun against the tree and move to kneel at her eye level. She felt his finger underneath her chin, and he lifted it up, forcing her eyes to meet his again. He looked at her sternly. "Listen here, don't put that weight on you. You shouldn't be in this shit to begin with," he stated sternly, almost scolding her to not be upset.

It was a nice gesture, but she knew the truth. "I should have known. I should of kept my gun with me. It's my fault," she said, her hands shaking at her side.

"Don't 'should of' this or 'should of' that yourself. I thought the same thing when….," his hand left her chin, his eyes falling to the ground as he shook his head, "Mistakes happen. Hell even Lee made a few." He smirked and looked up at her, "Don't beat yourself up. You got far too pretty of a face to be messin' it up with tears and shit." His knuckle knocked her chin playfully, and she couldn't stop the small smile that appeared on her face. It didn't mean that the weight had left, but if felt just the tiniest bit lighter, and she was okay with that.

She reached forward and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. "Thank you," she said softly and noticed how his body went stiff at first before his arms wrapped around her in a hug.

It made her feel warm to be held, to feel protected. Kenny certainly had a temper. She had learned it wasn't from hatred. He just wanted to protect everyone, and his way usually didn't coincide with others. She let out a deep breath, as if she had just come home from a long hard trip.

Kenny coughed uncomfortably as he shifted out of her arms. Her hands clinged to him for the briefest of moments before letting his jacket slip from her fingers. She felt a chill immediately as the space became apparent between them, the same space she had felt this morning. She didn't like it. She wanted him in her life, and if she had upset him last night, she wanted to fix it.

"I'm sorry," she remarked, her finger started to fiddle with the edge of her jacket, but she kept her eyes focused with determination on his, "About slapping you. You're my friend. I trust you, and I shouldn't have done that." She said with a nod, but she became acutely aware to how Kenny's good eye widened almost like he had just seen a walker and his face became absolutely pale.

His hand went up between them, waving it as he shook his head, like he was shooing away the thought. "No. No. You did nothing wrong," he spoke before cautiously putting his hand on her shoulder and giving her a stern look, "You hear me, nothing."

Her brow furrowed in confusion, but she nodded. Why had he been avoiding her then? She stole a glance at his lips, remembering how they had felt against her. A heat settled in her stomach as a flush crossed her cheek. She had seen him do that with Katjaa and Sarita. It always made them smile. She should have just smiled too. It wasn't all bad. It was just strange.

Kenny shook her shoulder as if pulling her from a daze, "Do you hear? You're fine. Don't blame yourself for that."

"I get it," she mumbled, almost annoyed, that it was all being taken back, "Why were you avoiding me then? It was kind of rude." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Uhh…you noticed…" he let out a soft laugh, "Of course you did." His hand fell back to his side as he slouched, sitting down on his feet, leaving Clementine to look down at him. "Hm. Well while you did nothing wrong. I did. Shouldn't have done that. I'm not much of a man to say sorry, but yeah, I'm sorry," his words were kind of jumbled and his body looked deflated.

It was nice to hear that her reaction hadn't been crazy, but she couldn't deny there was a small trace of disappointment and before she could stop herself, she shrugged like it wasn't a big deal, "It wasn't that bad."

"No. No," he muttered. Her words seemed to bring life to the man before her, because he stumbled to get back and off the ground. He stood in a rush, rubbing his hand over his face and beard. "You can't say stuff like that, Clem. What happened is for stuff when you're older. Don't do that with anyone."

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not a kid, Kenny," she snapped, the simple dismissiveness was pissing her off. A growing pet peeve was when adults didn't listen to her just because she was smaller than them. They needed to realize that because of her height and size they were able to get out of a lot of tough spots. She saved them. She wasn't just a kid that needed protection like Sara had. She could take care of herself.

He looked down at her with a gawking expression of disbelief. "You are! You are a kid, kid!" he said like he was talking to an idiot.

She huffed. She wasn't a kid, and she would prove it. She walked away from in the snow, then pretended to catch her feet. Tripping, she fell to the ground, hitting the pack snow with a yelp. "Ow!" she said loudly, rolling and reaching out to her leg that didn't even hurt.

"Clementine!" she heard Kenny shout and run over to her. He got on his knees to look at her leg. "Where are you hurt? Shit, what did you do?" he asked, going to look at her leg.

She reached up and grabbed his jacket, yanking him towards her, and pressing her lips against his like he had done to her. A spark fueled her actions. It was the same spark she felt when she was surrounded by walkers or had a gun pointed at her. It was so intense that her actions moved on her own. She could feel Kenny pulling away, but she didn't let him, wrapping her hand at the base of his neck and opening his mouth the way she had done hers. It made her heart pound in her chest with the mix of nervousness of doing it wrong and the thrill of what was occurring. His body went stiff, but she heard him groan in frustration before his hands fell to her waist.

It happened so quickly, she almost didn't realize what was happening. He pressed into the kiss like he had the night before, taking control and leading her. She felt like she was learning how to dance for the first time like when she had taken those classes before all of this. His hands went to her back and pulled her body against his. It made her breathless, to feel his chest against her. It was so aggressive, yet a sense of want and need behind each of his actions.

Her hand nervously went into his hair. It almost surprised her with how soft it felt between her fingers, while her other hand loosened on his jacket. She didn't quite understand her curiosity to run her hands on it. It just felt like to right thing to do. The man above her pressed deeper into the kiss, running his tongue against hers, only to break and halt as her hand moved lower. He broke the kiss, and she gasped for air, looking up at him. She felt hot even though they were surrounded in snow.

She saw his expression. He almost looked disgusted. "I…can't…" he said through his own heavy breaths. His eye closed.

She frowned, not wanting whatever was occurring to end. Her body felt on pin and needles. If adults could do it, she could too. "Don't stop," she said, yanking at his jacket again, trying to get him to kiss her again.

His hat had fallen off in the dishevel mess they had gotten into, and she watched as his body seemed to be shaking. Was he cold? She was anything, but. "Clem, if I don't now, you're not going to like where this goes," his voice was deep and rougher than usual.

"I can handle it," she said with determination and caught the small smirk that crossed his face.

"You think you can, but you can't," he stated, "I'm sorry, Clem."

No, he wasn't going to leave her with this strange feeling. She felt like it was building, and she wanted more. Her eyes narrowed as she took in his form that laid on top of her, noticing that same thing in his pants that had appeared the night before. She didn't normally see that when he walked around. She swallowed thickly before moving her hand down to touch it, grabbing it softly.

Kenny sucked in a sharp breath above her, cursing under his breath. She did something wrong. Damn it, he was going to get mad at her. His hand turned into a fist at his side, and her hand immediately jumped away like she had touched a burning pot. She didn't expect it when he leaned down and captured her mouth again. Her eyes widened, but the sensation flooded back with his actions.

His hand pulled apart her jacket and dipped under her shirt. She shivered as his coarse hand traveled along her skin, pulling her close again. His hips pressed into hers and she couldn't stop the smallest of sounds from escaping her throat. The feeling was intense, but a good feeling. His lips left hers. Instead of tearing away, they traveled down her jaw to her neck. Her heavy breathing felt louder and when he nipped her neck, she gasped, pressing her lips together to prevent any more sounds. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to be making them. His hand traveled down her stomach and stopped at the edge of her pants.

She could feel him hesitate, only to move underneath them. Her heart jumped, as he touched an area she always thought was supposed to be kept private. Her jaw locked, trying to stay brave. His fingers started to touch and rub her and it caused her eyes to widen. "Mmhm," she muffled back a sound, her hands gripping tightly into his jacket, as he continued to rub her. Is this what adults did. She couldn't describe the feeling, but it made her body twitch and squirm.

She could hear Kenny breathing heavily against her skin. "It's okay, darling," he said in a husk next to her ear, "You don't have to hide the sounds. Just don't be too loud." She would have thought more about what he was saying, if she wasn't so distracted by what was occurring by his fingers. At his permission, she ended up moaning. Her nails digging into the fabric. God, she felt like she would fall even though she was on the ground. Like a gush of wind, it hit her, and her body tensed and twitched as she gasped for air like a fish out of water. It felt like she was floating on a cloud.

Her body relaxed in the snow, but his hand moved lower and slipped inside her. "Kenny!" she gasped in surprise as he inserted it into her. It hurt slightly.

She felt his lips press against her neck softly. "It's alright," he whispered and his words made her panic calm, as he pushed another finger into her. She swallowed. She could do this. She closed her eyes for a moment. She was an adult. She could do this. She decided to distract herself. He had made he feel that strange intensity, could she do the same to him? Her hand nervously traveled down again to his pants. She didn't want to make a mistake. She undid the button of his pants and noticed how Kenny paused only to continue with what he was doing to her. He added a third finger, and she winced, biting her lip. It hurt, but she had felt worse.

With a deep breath, she moved her hand into his pants, her fingers grazing across something long and hard.

"Fuck," he heard him mutter, and she almost stopped. He pressed a bit deeper into her with his fingers, and it brought back that spark. She swallowed again. Maybe, she was doing this right. She touched it, testing the length like a new toy, though she couldn't remember the last time she had a toy.

Kenny's lips came on top of hers again, and he kissed her roughly. His free hand slipped into her hair and pulled her mouth more into his. There were so many things happening, she felt like she couldn't keep up. She wrapped her hands around it, not know what to do from there. She felt him moan into her mouth, and the sound seemed to only increase the feeling again. She liked knowing that she was doing something right. She was so proud of herself.

His mouth ripped away from her again and shifted partially up, the cool air attacking her skin. His fingers pulled out of her and he quickly undid her pants. Her hand slipped from his, as she became a bit confused by his rough actions. Her pants and panties were pulled down to her knees, the snow biting at her skin. "Kenny, what are…" she stated confused, her face flushing red in embarrassment.

His own pants partially undone, exposed the long object she had been touching. Kenny looked at her face. It wasn't the same kind fatherly face she had seen earlier. It was a face of man who wanted something. "It's going to hurt….a lot," he stated roughly, "You think you can still handle it." His voice seemed to be on edge like he was moments from losing himself.

She looked at him, nervousness filling her, but she hid it with a nod. "Yes, I can," she said in fierce determination.

He grabbed her thighs and pulled her closer to his hips, settling between her legs as he leaned over her. He placed a soft kiss on her lips as she felt heat near her entrance.

She almost screamed when he pressed it inside of her. It was so large. It definitely didn't fit. Her mouth gapped open, but no sound came to her rescue. He continued to press it into her slowly, she could hear him groaning. Her body seemed stuck, trying to push it out, only to have it keep pushing in deeper. She gasped for air and started to squirm. She whined as the pain almost became unbearable. It couldn't fit. He kept a tight grip on her waist, as he finally pushed all the way, breaking past something she never knew was there. She cried out, and he kissed her softly. "It's in," he said through pants, leaning his forehead against hers. "You okay?" his thumb was running a circle across her skin. It soothed her, almost calmed her as she adjust to the large item inside of her. She didn't know how it had fit into her.

"Y-yes," she said with a nod.

He nodded, "I'm going to move." It sounded like a warning. Was this not the worse? Why would anyone want to feel this pain? He slowly pulled out, and it made her feel uncomfortably empty, but he slowly pushed back in again.

She clawed at his jacket, as he started to repeat the action. It didn't hurt as badly. It still hurt, but something else was growing. Her breathing became heavier again. Her skin felt hot to the touch. She could feel Kenny start to move faster and he pressed a bit deeper. A moan left her mouth. "Oh wow," she said almost breathless, and Kenny stopped.

She groaned in frustration and looked up at him to see him laughing. She frowned. "Why are you laughing at me?" she asked, her face flushed and her heart spark with hurt.

He shook his head, his breathing was still rough, and while his body had stop, she could feel him shaking. He had a weird smile on his face. "I'm raping a kid, and the kid's response is wow," he laughed softly like he was losing his mind, "It's like you saw Santa at the store. There's something really fucked up with me."

Her eyes narrowed again before she pushed slightly up off the ground and kissed him, pressing her lips hard against his. "Shut up, Kenny, and move," she demanded.

He looked transfixed with her. His good eye stuck on her face before he pressed into a kiss again and returned to his movement. He moved faster than before and pressed deeper. Her mind fogged over as everything around her seemed to disappear. She moaned as he hit that spot again. It felt like she was coming to the edge. She tilted her jaw upwards as Kenny attacked her neck, groaning as he pressed into her. The sounds only increased the pleasure. His fingers gripped tightly into her side, and his pace increased.

"Oh god," her body started to shake as something hit her, "Kenny?!" she shouted in confusion, only to feel the sweet sense of bliss and relaxation.

She could feel Kenny still moving within her, before he tightened and pulled out. He groaned deeply and something spilled onto her thigh. She hardly noticed though as she laid in the snow underneath him. Kenny collapsed on top of her, laying his head on her chest, she stared up at the tall pines, snow slowly falling down around them. It was so silent. No one watching. No walkers. It was just them, and she felt content, even though she felt a little sore. Her hand went to his hair and she threaded her fingers through it softly. The same way Lee did to her when she laid on top of him.

"I told you I could handle it," she said with a small smirk.

She heard Kenny sigh. "There really isn't any innocence left in this world," he said softly, before he wrapped his arms under her back and hugged her, "Sorry I took yours too." He then pulled away, quickly pulling up her pants then his own. "I'm going to go for a walk," he muttered.

"Kenny?" she said, as she quickly tried to button up her own pants to follow him. He was doing it again. He was avoiding her.

He held his hand back to her. "Clem, I need some time to think."

She stopped in her tracks, watching his tall body, as his head hung low. She shifted awkwardly in the snow. "Okay…." She responded, pausing as she found his hat still in the snow. She picked it up and fiddled it in her hands. "A smart man told me you that you shouldn't "should of this" or "should of that" yourself. I think what he was trying to say was that you shouldn't overthink the past and instead consider the future."

She caught the small smile that crept his lips. "Head back, Clementine," he said with a nod and wandered out into the thick pines.

She continued to stare at him for a moment longer before she adjusted herself. It had been interesting to say the least. She understood why the adults did that stuff because for a few brief seconds she had forgotten about all the woes in this world. The soreness between her legs made her uncomfortable, but she ignored it, gathered some wood and headed back to the cabin.

She dropped the wood next to the stump where someone would chop it. She would have given it a try if she hadn't felt tiredness creeping on. She walked up into the cabin, Kenny's hat still in hand.

"Holly shit, Clem, you look like a mess," Luke noted from the couch. "What happened to you?"

She finally looked at her appearance and noticed how messy her hair was, how her jacket was undone, and shirt partially ripped, plus the marks she was now feeling on her neck. It made her blush. Kenny was so ashamed of what had happen. Was she supposed to be ashamed too? If she told them, would they get mad, or would they finally accept her as an adult? Or maybe, she had done something wrong…

She stared at Luke and then Mike who walked through the kitchen door with Rebecca in tow.

She opened her mouth to speak.

A. Tell the truth.

B. Lie.


	3. Tell the Truth

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews! I know this is a taboo topic, but I'm glad people can still appreciate the story. The polling was about fifty fifty, so I've decided to write a chapter for each choice. When I started writing this, tell the truth was one up on lie, so I decided to start with this choice first. Again, if you don't like it don't read.

* * *

She could feel the attention in the room shift onto her, waiting silently for her answer. The heated moments in the pines came to her mind, causing a flush to cross her cheek, as she gripped into Kenny's hat. She could read the shame on Kenny's face as he walked away from her, but she didn't feel that way. She felt like she was taking another step closer to being treated as an adult.

She licked her bottom lip out of a nervous twitch before she opened her mouth to speak. They would understand. After all, she was the one who told Kenny she was okay with it even though it had made her uncomfortable.

"Kenny," she spoke clearly into the room, his name being her answer. She glanced at the other three people in the room, and when they didn't outright react, she turned to the coat hanger and started to peel off her jacket.

When she turned back around, she saw Luke's confused expression on the couch. He had that pout on his lips that he got when he didn't get the answer he liked. He pushed himself off the couch and walked towards her. "What do you mean Kenny?" he asked his voice suspicious, "He did this to you?" The last part of his voice became angry.

Rebecca and Mike weren't fully listening to the conversation. Rebecca only perked up at the mention of Kenny, a slight edge of annoyance and anger in her expression as she crossed her arms underneath her breast. "Tell him that he doesn't get to hide that whiskey. It's like freaken hide and go seek in here," she bit out bitterly, "We don't even have kids to be playing such a stupid game."

Mike sighed next to her side, "What happened to showing me how to knit?"

"What's the point?" Rebecca grumbled and started to push passed Mike to go back to bed.

"Shut up, you guys," Luke said in sharp tone as he walked towards her in a quick pace. He got onto his knees to her height. His hand went to her shoulder while the other went to her chin, pulling it one way and then the other, as if inspecting her. "What did he do to you?" he said, worry tracing his tone.

She knew Luke meant well, but it really bothered being manhandled. She tried to rip her chin away from her grip. "I'm not a doll, Luke," she muttered, trying to pull away from his grip. He let her slip out and she back away. "We just kissed, okay," she said with a shrug like it wasn't that big of a deal, and compared to some of the other stuff that happened these days, it really wasn't.

That statement caught everyone's attention. Luke's face turned deathly white as his eyes widened in horror. Rebecca even stopped in her tracks to the bedroom, like something had hit her in the gut. Mike was the first to say something, "The fuck."

"He did what?" Rebecca said in complete disgust.

Seeing their reactions made her a nervous. They were over reacting. "It's not that big of a deal," she said, trying to calm everyone before the situation got worse.

Luke's eyes fell to her neck. "Are those hickies…" he brought his hand to his mouth, gagging, on the verge of losing the small lunch that he had earlier. She watched as he stood up, turning away from her.

These were the moments she felt like she was the only mature person in the room. They always took something so simple and exaggerated it to something tense. "Calm down. It was my choice," she said, her hand reaching out to Luke to get him to agree with her.

Fate loved to play pranks on her. If she was given just a little more time, she was certain she could calm them down and talk some sense into them. Of course, just as she takes a step towards Luke, the door swings open showing an exhausted and tired Kenny.

Time seemed to freeze, as she watched Kenny's expression turn to confusion and Luke's body whip around fist heading in the direction of his face.

"Luke, no!" she shouted, her words falling too late, as his fist connected hard into Kenny's jaw, knocking him back into the door. His arm went underneath his jaw, pressing hard against his neck and cutting off his air supply. Kenny's arms went up to push Luke off, she could see the anger rising.

"You're a sick bastard! Who the fuck touches a little girl!?" Luke growled out. Kenny looked ready to fight him, but with those words, his face turned to sadness and his eyes fell to the floor. Damn it, Kenny wasn't even going to fight! A panic rose in Clementine at what might happened, she ran up to Luke and grabbed at his shirt trying to pull him off.

"Luke, stop! It's not his fault! Luke!" she shouted, yanking at him. Luke pulled back his arm again and hit Kenny hard in the face, this time knocking him straight to the ground.

Kenny didn't push himself up, he coughed into the floor. "Do your worse, kid," he muttered through the blood.

No, she couldn't let this happen. She wouldn't let someone else get hurt because of her. Her eyes shot over the cabin trying to find something that would help her get Luke to stop. The floor was pulled away from her, as Mike wrapped his arms around her, picking her up and pulling her way from Luke. "No! Stop it!" she kicked and struggled in his arms.

"Clem, he did wrong. Calm down," Mike said, keeping a tight grip on her. She continued to struggle.

"What the fuck is wrong with you! Jesus!" Luke pressed his own hand against his forehead, so disturbed by the collapsed man's actions.

Rebecca watched in silence, her eyes narrowed at the scene. "He can't just stay here," she said coldly.

They were going to kick him out! How could they do that?! Kenny was a part of the group. He had saved all of their lives at least once. "No! He's part of the group! You can't!" her panic was rising. She couldn't lose him again. He had already died once.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Christa said as she came into the living room, followed by the blonde woman who was yawning and stretching.

"The old bastard fucked Clementine," Mike grunted, as he tried to keep his hold on the girl.

"What?" Christa said sharply in disgust and disbelief before she looked at the man on the ground.

"Stop, it's not like that!" Clementine kicked back into Mike's crotch and the man dropped her immediately, groaning and collapsing on his knees. She hit the floor roughly. Ignoring the pain, she ran over to Kenny. "Kenny, are you okay?"

Her hand reached out to touch him and help him up, but he pushed her away. "I'm fine, Clem," he said tiredly, "I deserve this." His eyes finally turned to her, serious, and focus. "Stay back." Her heart squeezed in pain. Something terrible felt like it was looming. She didn't want the shadow of death to take him. Her bottom lip shook, but she nodded in agreement, stepping away from him.

Christa walked forward and grabbed Kenny's hair ripping him up off the ground. "I never liked you, never trusted you. Lee was a fool to ever keep you around. Get the fuck out of here," she said darkly, pushing him to the wall. "Touching little kids," she shook her head, "Did you touch your boy too?"

Anyone who knew how much Kenny loved his family, knew that was the wrong thing to say, and Clementine shouted right as she saw the anger overcome the short temper man, "Kenny, no!"

In rage, Kenny tackled the woman onto the ground, hitting her roughly in the face. "Don't you ever say that about my boy!" His fist came down upon her again. "You've always been a judgmental bitch! We didn't have pick you fuckers up!" Christa nose made a loud cracking sound, blood dripped down her face.

Luke was on Kenny in a matter of seconds, ripping the man off of her. "Calm the fuck down, man!" Luke shouted, holding him back, as Kenny tried to pull forward to get another hit at the girl, obviously not caring about the don't hit a woman rule most of them were taught.

Christa turned her head and spit out blood onto the floor. "You're the bastard that touches kids," she bit out, wiping her face.

Clementine stood there in shock. It felt like the bricks around her were falling apart and there was nothing she could do to put it back together. "Stop it! Just stop it! All of you!" she shouted loudly, her eyes closing shut as her body shook in anger.

Everyone paused in their actions and turned their focus on Clementine. Kenny's body went limp. Luke let go of him while Christa pushed herself off the ground. Luke turned to her. "He can't stay here, Clem….not with you…" he stopped himself, sighing and shaking his head.

"No, it's not his fault," she protested again trying to get someone to see. It wasn't his fault. It was her fault. She was the one that pressed him. Why couldn't they just understand?

Mike groaned, adjusting his shoulders. "I say we vote," he grumbled as he leaned against the wall.

Christa spit out another wad of blood. "Yeah, let's vote. Who votes this piece of shit gets the fuck out of here?" she said sternly, her hand going into the air. The panic started to rise as she watched Rebecca's hand raise, followed by Mike's, and then Luke who gave Clementine a sad look. Kenny just stood there like a dead corpse, staring at the ground.

"Who votes he should stay?!" she said in almost a higher pitch plea, her hand shooting up in the air. Her eyes looked around as no one lifted their arms with her. Her eyes found Kenny who still stood there lifeless. "Kenny?!" she said in a panic.

Kenny sighed and turned to her with a soft smile. "It's for the best, Clem," he said, tiredly.

She shook her head, "No…no!" He couldn't be agreeing with them.

"I'll get you a bag of supplies, man," Mike stated, turning away from them to go into the kitchen and grab a few items.

Tears slipped down her cheek, her body shaking as she looked at Kenny, the man who had protected her. He hadn't been Lee, but he had been there for her. "Kenny, no please," she pleaded with him.

Mike came back with a bag of stuff and held it out for Kenny. Kenny took the bag and threw it over his shoulder, grabbing the shot gun with his other hand. He gave one last glance. "You'll be alright," he smiled then walked towards the door.

Her heart broke. It felt like she was watching a friend go off to his death. His hat caught her sight and she leaned down and picked it up. "Kenny wait!" she shouted running to him.

He paused and turned to her, her hands wrapped around him in a hug. He got onto one knee and wrapped his arms around him for the briefest of moments. While Clementine didn't notice the eyes on them, Kenny did and quickly pulled them apart.

Her eyes and cheeks were wet. "I can go with you," she said, fiddling with his hat.

He shook his head, "No, you can't darling. You're safer here."

"It's not your fault though. It's mine. I shouldn't…"

His hand went up as if to say don't say anymore. "Remember what we said about that," he smirked.

She nodded, trying to get a hold of her tears. She wiped her face with the back of her sleeve. "Don't blame yourself for this, Clem. It was never your fault. Promise me you won't," he stated seriously.

She nodded, "I..I promise."

He smiled, "Good, now it looks like you got my hat." He nodded to it in her hand.

A weak smile traced her lips, "I didn't want you to forget it." She slowly put the hat on top of his head.

"Yeah, it's the only thing keepin me looking pretty," he chuckled.

She would have laughed, but a loud shot rang through the cabin. The smile that had been on Kenny's face went limp and his eyes rolled back, blood splattered on her face.

No one had been paying attention to the new blonde that had joined the group. Such activity was occurring that no one had noticed her go back to the bedroom and pick up her pistol. No one had saw as she moved closer to the kneeling man because no one thought much about her. Christa had known her the longest, but they had only met up a month ago and the woman had saved her life. No one paid attention to her until it was too late.

She had put the gun to Kenny's head and pulled the trigger.

Clementine screamed as Kenny's dead body hit the floor with a thud.

"What the fuck?!" Mike shouted, and Luke ran grabbing the woman's gun.

The girl just laughed. "Why ya'll so upset? Zero tolerance where I come from," she said with a grin as Luke pushed her up against the wall.

"Kenny!" Clementine cried going to his dead body. "Kenny! Kenny! Kenny! Wake up! Kenny please, wake up!" She shook his body on the floor and blood poured from his head.

"Taylor, what did you do…." Christa whispered in horror.

"Kenny, please!" Clementine's head fell onto his chest. No, why. Why did people she keep losing people? She cried hard into his chest, gripping at his shirt, mentally willing him to live.

"It's not fair," she mumbled softly into his chest.

Life's not fair, honey, she heard Lee's soft sweet voice speak to her, and for a second, she felt like she could sense his hand patting her back.

If only Lee was here, he would make it all better.

If only he were here.


	4. Lie

A/N: Phew, finished this in a day. This story is now complete! I'm debating about doing a sequel based 6 years in the future, putting her at 18 or so, but sorting out some details. Who knows though, maybe I'll get started on that tonight. Thanks all for riding this crazy ride with me.

* * *

For being young, Clementine could understand the serious of a situation fairly quickly. She didn't blame Kenny for what had happened in the woods. She had made a decision, and while it certainly was new experience that was slightly uncomfortable, she had partially liked it. Kenny's face after the occurrence was enough to tell her though that what had occurred wasn't a norm. She wanted the others to understand that it was her choice. She wanted them to understand, but she knew the chances of them understanding were slim. It would likely cause more tension between the group. For now, she would keep what happened to herself.

She looked between the people in the room, before her eyes fell to the ground. She was running out of time, and it would look suspicious if she continued just to stand there disheveled. She swallowed thickly, looking back at Luke. "Walkers, they took us by surprise," she said quickly.

"What? Walkers. How many of them?" Luke shot up from his chair, turning his gaze to the window. They hadn't come across many heards since moving north, but it was likely they might come across one again.

Both Mike and Rebecca went tense as well. "Jesus, I'm so tired of those things," Rebecca said with a heavy breath.

"It's not like we haven't dealt with them before, Bec," Mike stated, pulling out his gun from his side.

Rebecca's face twisted into annoyance. "I hate this world," she muttered under her breath, crossing her arms under her chest.

Clementine stepped in quickly. She didn't want them to go out chasing something that wasn't even there. Rebecca was already tittering on depression, and if she kept getting bad news…Clementine replayed what Lee had told her of Katjaa.

Even after losing Lee, she knew that he wouldn't have wanted her to give up. It was why she kept pressing on, but sometimes other people didn't have that drive anymore. Clementine didn't want her white lie to be the last straw for Rebecca. "Kenny and I killed them," she said, "There weren't many, but he's checking out the area to see if there are more," she covered her tracks. The one thing she didn't like about lying was that it always lead to more lies.

Luke nodded, his body relaxing. "Good plan," he stated before he gave her a smile, "You okay?"

Clementine rubbed her forearm, as she nodded her head. She didn't look at him. She felt bad lying to Luke. He was always so nice to her, but it was for the best. It had to be for the best. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired," she said softly.

"Mike got that water pump working. I'm sure we'd all be okay if you wanted to get yourself cleaned up. Right guys?" Luke remarked, glancing back at the other two.

"It works?" she said in awe, her face finally lightening up a bit.

Mike smirked, "Used to be a mechanic. Nothing stands in the way of these hands." Mike chuckled, clapping his hands together like a proud father.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Kid gets to take all the water…great…just great," she muttered under her breath.

"Rebecca," Luke scolded.

"Nah, remember you're supposed to teach me those knitting skills," Mike said trying to lighten her mood a bit.

"Whatever, I'm going back to bed," she noted and wandered off down the hall to her bedroom.

Clementine was about to head to a bedroom herself when the door behind her flew open with a tired defeated looking Kenny. When their eyes met, she caught his disappointment. She really wished he would stop making that face. Her lower half still felt sore, but she wasn't mad. It felt like he thought she was untouchable, and that hurt. She liked when he held her. It almost felt like home and she didn't have to worry about being an adult anymore. He was there to protect her.

"Did you see any other walkers?" Luke asked him as he entered.

Kenny's brows turned to confusion. Clementine silently told him through his eyes to go along with it. Her mouth formed a straight serious line. "Oh…yeah…walkers," he mumbled, running his hand through the back of his hair, "No, we got em all." He let out a half laugh, "Came out of no where. Didn't even know what to do, but shit, you know instinct takes over. You don't even realize what's gone on until your staring at your hands trying to figure how the fuck that just happened." He rambled on, kicking off his boots and tossing them near the coat rack, snow from his boots dropped all over the wooden floors.

Clementine's eyes widened, knowing that he wasn't talking about this hypothetical walker's attack anymore. He looked broken.

Even Luke noticed it, stepping forward. "You okay, Ken, you seem a bit…I don't know..out of it?" he asked.

"Leave him be, Luke. The man looks like he's going through some shit. We all have our moments. I get it," Mike said. He was still looking at the door Rebecca had gone through before he went to the couch. "Who wants to play a game of cards?"

"I think I'll wash up," she said softly, giving Kenny another nervous look. He was avoiding her again, and she could sense the distance creep up between them. It felt like it had felt this morning.

"I'm going to get the fuck off my feet," Kenny muttered, "Any of these bedrooms empty or all the women enjoying this like some dumbshit spa resort."

"Yeah the one to the left. It's also got a bath, Clem," Luke answered, giving her a smile before going back to the couch, "What are you thinking, Mike? I play a mean hand of poker."

Mike laughed, "White boy, you don't have a poker face. If you're up for losing your pride, I'm down."

"I have you know I saw Lady Gaga once," Luke said with a smirk, grabbing the cards from the table to shuffle. Mike only laughed harder in response.

Clementine didn't pay attention to them. Her focus was on Kenny who seemed to move for no better word like a zombie across the living room to the bedroom. She followed him quietly and noticed how he hesitated at the door of the bedroom before living it open for her. She followed in and shut it behind her.

She turned back around to see Kenny fall face first into the bed, sighing roughly as he pulled a pillow underneath his head.

He looked like he had been physically hurt with how he mopped around. Him and Rebecca would make quite a pair right now, and it was beginning to piss her off.

"Kenny, stop this," she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowing as she took in the lump on the bed.

His good eyes opened and he shifted in the bed. He frowned, "Don't give me that look."

Her lip pouted out in annoyance. "You're acting like a kid. If what we did was so bad, shouldn't I be the one throwing a fit like a little girl instead of you?" she said matter of factly. He really was acting childishly. She held a large amount of respect for the man. He had gotten her out of some tough spots in the past, but right now, seeing him so upset….it hurt. It made her feel like she did something wrong. She hadn't been good enough for him, and she had tried to so hard. She pressed her lips together, keeping her emotionless mask in place. She wouldn't let him see that she was hurt.

He rubbed his hand over his tired face before he sat up on the bed. "Clem, it's not like that," he groaned in frustration, "You're too young to understand. God Lee would have my ass if he knew how much I fucked everything up."

She huffed, and threw his hat onto the bed before storming to the bathroom and slamming the door shut. Okay now, she was acting like a kid, but what was she supposed to do. She felt like she had given something to him, and he was throwing it away like yesterday's trash. Her breathing became unstable, as she leaned her head against the door.

She wanted someone to talk to, someone she could trust. Why wasn't Lee here? She closed her eyes for a moment before she pushed herself off the door. She didn't need anyone to survive. She had herself. She walked to the mirror and took in her face. Her lips looked red and her cheeks were dirty. She tilted her head and caught sight of the bruising on her neck. "Hm," she noted.

Her body felt weird and a bath would definitely feel nice. It had been a long time since she had a bath.

She started to peel off her clothing that had become like a second skin. She tossed it to the ground, grabbing one of the towels and wrapping it around her as she went to the tub. She turned the handle and water spurted to life. There was gross mud that spewed out, but the water soon became clear, washing the dirt away. She plugged the bottom of the bathtub.

There was a soft knock at the door.

She pouted out her lip before going to the door. She opened it and looked up at him. "What?" she asked coldly.

Kenny stared down at her before he pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Clem, I wish you'd stop throwing this shit attitude at me. I'm trying to be the grown up here. You hear me," he stated, before he shook his finger, almost in a scolding motion like she had done something wrong.

She stared up at him silently, with blank eyes, before she slammed the door in his face. She wasn't going to sit there and listen to him put his guilt on her. She turned back to head to the tub, but the door flew open.

"Don't slam the door in my face, young lady," he growled, coming into the bathroom.

She turned and looked at him with her own anger and hurt. She knew better then to get into a fight with Kenny's rage, but he was pushing her. He was the one pushing her away. He was the one throwing a fit. She hadn't done anything. "What do you want from me?" she finally said in frustration.

Her words seemed to snap his anger back because his face relaxed as he took in the girl before him. His eyes closed shut, his jaw tightened, and his hands turned into a fist at his side. He finally got onto his knees and wrapped his arms around her, his head falling into her stomach. She could feel him shaking as he started to cry. She stood there stiff, not knowing what to do. The only time she had seen Kenny cry was when Duck had died, but even then, he had hid it from her.

"I want you to forgive me," he whimpered into her towel. Her hand slowly threaded into his hair. She looked down at the mess of a man before her. She didn't know how to respond to him. How do you respond to someone that you almost feel like you're the reason they're broken? She ran her fingers into her hair, her eyes staring at the image of them in the mirror. She wanted t slap some sense into him.

"Kenny, you have to stop this," she said softly, she bit her bottom lip. She felt tired, tired of being the shoulders that held the people in this group up. She wanted someone to support her. "What would Katjaa or Sarita think? You need to get a hold of yourself. You're the leader," she responded.

His crying slowed until they were dull sobs. He nodded into her towel before he lifted his face. He rubbed his face with the palm of his hand before, he pushed himself up. "You're right, Clem," he said softly, he ran his hand into her short hair, cupping her face and pulling it to lock with his. "I put so much shit on you. You don't deserve this fucked up shit," he said, patting her cheek before turning away. "I'll fix it."

Her brows furrowed as he left the bathroom. She wasn't sure what he meant by that, but she caught the tub abut to over flow. She cursed and turned off the water right in time. She sighed, she just needed to forget. She wanted to remember the time before the dead walked the earth. Her parent's laughing over dinner, playing with children her age, and even going to school. She placed the towel on the counter and got into the tub. It was luke warm, and she sighed as it touched her skin, holding her breath, she dipped her entire body under the water, staring up at the ceiling above.

Life had been so simple, but in that life there was no Lee, Carley, Lilly, Christa, Omid, Ben, Luke, or Kenny. She had met so many people in this new world, and while it was hard, she couldn't imagine her life if she hadn't had met those people. They all had an impact in who she was becoming. She broke through the water, sucking in a deep breath. She slowly started to wash herself with the cloth, rubbing off the dirt. She stayed in the tub, her thoughts jumping through each choice she made to get to this point. How things went wrong and others went right, yet she made it here. She wondered when death would be at her own doorstep to take her away.

It had been a good ten minutes before she unplugged the tub, and the water started to drain. She dried herself off, rubbing her short hair before putting her clothes back on. She still had the towel, laying over her head as she opened the door to the bedroom. She suspected to see Kenny sleeping, but there wasn't anyone there. It had gotten darker, but a candle was lit on the nightstand. She went over to the candle and saw a sloppy written letter.

Clementine,

You're my little spitfire, and I sometimes think that the reason we ran into each other a year after Savannah was Lee's own master plan that he put together from the beginning. I love you, darling. I would do anything to protect you, which is why I'm leaving and going my own way. You got Christa now, and I'm sure shit head Luke can manage to take care of you. Even if they can't, I know you can survive. You're a survivor through and through.

Forgive me,

Kenny

She read the letter over and over again. Her eyes wet as her grip in the paper tightened. Her heart cracked. Had he really left? Left he after all they had been through…

She bolted out the door into the living room. "Kenny! Where's Kenny?" she said in sharp gasp of panic.

Mike and Luke were still playing cards. Luke looked up. "What's up sweat pea?"

"Where is Kenny?" she said again, her eyes bolting everywhere for him. He couldn't have gotten far.

Christa walked through the kitchen door right during the outburst. Her head tilted in suspicion. "He left about ten minutes ago," she stated, "He said he's doing another patrol."

Clementine looked at the door in a panic. She could catch up to him. She could stop him. After everything, she didn't want to lose him. She didn't want chase him away. Tears kept slipping down her face. She ran to the door, pulling on her boots and bolted out the door.

"Clementine!" Christa shouted after her.

"Shit," Luke cursed.

She could hear Luke right out the door behind her, but she kept running through the snow. The snow had gotten thick, making running that much harder, her fit kept breaking through, her boots feeling with its wet coldness in every step.

"Kenny! I'm sorry! Kenny! Please come back!" she called for him, crying. Why was she so mean to him? She kept pushing into the snow until she tripped on a hidden tree root. She went face first into the snow. She cried, clawing into the snow, trying to will Kenny to come back.

She felt two arms pick her up, as Luke pulled her up into his chest. "Clem, what happened?" he asked, worried, as he started to walk her back to the cabin.

She buried her face into his shirt. "He's gone. He's gone again," she said through shaky sobs, "I lost him again."

"I'm sure he'll be back," Luke said softly.

It was a pretty lie he said, but she knew it was only a lie.

No, he was gone…he was gone…

You'll be alright, honey, she heard Lee's voice comfort her, but it only served as another reminder of what she had lost.

She might be a survivor, but she didn't want to be alone anymore. Because what is the point in surviving, when you're the only one left?


End file.
